Developing Android Application for Work Order and Work Hour Management

Abstract

This Master’s thesis deals with the development process of an Android application. The application is meant to be used as a tool for managing both a company’s work orders and the individual work hours of the staff. First, the study gives a brief introduction to the company and a general overview of the thesis subject. Next, it goes deeper into the background of this thesis, explaining the need for the application and how it can help the company to achieve a more efficient work routine.

The development tools utilized in this project are also introduced. The application itself was developed using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 Professional Edition with the Xamarin plugin, the database utilized for storing work order and work hour information was a Microsoft SQL Server. In order for the application to be able to connect to the database, a Web service was created on a local web server. The study also goes through theory about the Android operating system, providing a brief history of the platform along with explanations regarding terms such as views, activities and intents.

Next the study deals with the actual implementation process of the application, starting with the planning stages where diagrams and timetables are laid forth. It is also explained why the development process slightly deviates from standardized development methods such as Scrum and Agile. The problems and challenges faced by the thesis author both in terms of technical issues and pressed timetables are also presented.

After the product was released, feedback was gathered from the end users and that together with potential scenarios for future development needs for the application are introduced.